#CYPossible: Kevin Crisanto, Aviation and Travel Careers
Completing coursework calls for celebration, and we are proud to celebrate with Cypress College’s newest degree- and certificate-holders. By achieving these education goals, graduates and certificate-earners are equipped to continue on their college path or find strong footholds in the career fields they’ve chosen. We’ve taken the journey with these outstanding students, and know that when they look to the horizon, they see what is #CYPossible.
Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What are your interests? What is your story?
My name is Kevin Crisanto, and I am a Customer Service Agent of American Airlines at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). I started my career with American Airlines in 2015 and the airline company has continued to evolve since I arrived by merging with U.S. Airways, crafting unions with contracts, adding new air fleet, enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.
I love the relationships I have made over my career because I am able to hear about past experiences of aviation culture from the veterans of the company and make new experiences with colleagues by mentoring the new generation. I graduated from Cypress College a multitude of times, earning my Associate of Science in Commercial Pilot, Aviation Management, Airline Customer Service, and Flight Attendant.
When I am not on duty at LAX, I spend time with family and watch my younger relatives grow up, enjoy spending time with my friends by seeing new places in and near Los Angeles that I have not seen before, traveling around the world to be able understand culture from a new perspective, and enjoy my gaming entertainment systems. I am fascinated with aviation because of the ability to make the world reachable to people that may not have the luxury of traveling, the aircrafts that make it possible reach around the world, and being able to seat in premium cabins to make the journey comfortable.
I currently live in Pico Rivera with my family and have lived in the city for most of my life. Growing up as Mexican-American family, I had strong family values and keeping close with family is a major support system to help each other no matter the case. My life had its difficulties growing up, but I was always reminded that I have an opportunity to be anything I want to be while growing up and understand how special that is.
Why did you choose to attend Cypress College and how did being a student here help you find your first position after completion?
I came across Cypress College because of an open house invitation by the aviation department from my senior year at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. I was excited to learn about the programs held at Cypress College and the commute was sufficient to allow studies at school while helping my family. I choose Cypress College because the institution continues to excel at giving the most to its students by creating new facilities, hiring outstanding professors that are in the field of their study, and being affordable for students with little or no income to start their college career. Cypress College gave me the skills and tools I needed to be confident in my abilities to take the instruction I learned and apply it in real-life scenarios that will benefit the outlook of a company mission statement.
The Cypress College Aviation Department has multiple networks with the aviation industry and creates postings for new positions in the local area. I was intimidated when applying with companies that prefer work experience in the field, but showing my dedication to education at Cypress College gave my evaluators promise that I will be a fine candidate for joining the American Airlines LAX team. I continue to challenge myself at LAX with American Airlines and I owe a major role in my success is because of Cypress College.
Where are you now?
I am American Airlines Customer Service Agent at LAX and I work directly with passengers in a multitude of fields. I handle passengers ticketing information from simple check-in with their luggage and create an excitement of joy for traveling to complex tasks as rebooking cancel or delay flights that can cause miss connections with passengers upset in difficult situations of missing events. I operate domestic and international flights to multiple destinations by boarding passengers, dispatching by controlling seat assignments, and called upon to supervise flights when needed. I work with multiple entities at the airport to coordinate of security issues and passenger safety to ensure a safe and friendly environment. Lastly, I am trained to handle heavy machinery of moving jet-bridges to meet aircrafts connected to the airport terminals.
What are your long-term goals? What do you aspire to?
My long-term goal is to become an airline pilot for a major company in the United States. I am working toward a cadet program with American Airlines to be on a path that will guide me from a student pilot to a mainline pilot with the airline. Since I was a child, I have always looked to the sky to see all the airplanes flying so high and wondered if one day I would be able to fly around the world.
Another long-term goal is to visit the modern and ancient wonders of the world because of the historical impacts created by mankind and most of the locations are scattered across the globe. I enjoy watching different genres of movies, television shows, and electronic entertainment systems because they all have stories of settings made in real-life locations; therefore, having the ability to visit locations of various sets makes me feel a part of the story itself and being able to share photos with family and friends. I aspire to be a mentor for future generation of pilots and make a difference in a person’s life for the better. Another aspiration is to continue my education by achieving new skills in different fields of study, such as: martial arts, sky diving, learning a new language, fitness, motivational speaker, etc.
What are you most passionate about? Why?
I am very passionate about flying to different destinations and see what new wonders I can accomplish and take back home. I like to travel to different parts of the world during special events hosted by the city or country; for example, I traveled to Germany for the first time for “Oktoberfest” and experience a local tradition held annually in Munich, Germany. While possible to experience certain extravaganzas at a local gathering, it is astonishing to witness an event at an origin point and understand how it became worldwide celebrated.
What are you most proud of?
Although my accomplishments are vast, I am most proud of being an uncle to my family because of the strong connection my family and I have. I hope one day to become a husband and father with children of my own, until then, I enjoy spending time with my nephew and twin nieces in Arlington, TX and watching them grow up and taking them to experience new environments.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I am considered a shy person and would keep to myself while going to college, but I encourage people to become involve in extra curriculum activities and invest time into gatherings with fellow colleagues. I would have wanted to spend more time with friends in the same profession and make trips to events of interest. I realize that networking with different people will help conquer anxiety and create new possibilities to develop new friendships, mentors, and memories to carry into the future.
What one bit of advice would you give to current and future Cypress College students?
The main advice I will give anyone is to not give up on their pursuit for a higher education. Life will always create challenges that can affect the pursuit for a college degree, but know that your journey will be different from other’s and you can accomplish them on your path. Whether you are a student just graduated from high school, have a growing family and wanting a career change, or tried before and did not complete all requirements, I encourage to continue the challenge and evolve into a new chapter and see the new opportunities that will follow into your future.